Winter Quarter is now officially in the swing of things and that means aside from the occasional trek to class or a dining hall, many of us will be spending more time indoors to avoid the frigid cold and premature pitch-black sky.
If you find yourself unsure of what to do with all this extra time indoors, allow me to suggest one of my favorite activities: watching Korean dramas.
For your personal enjoyment and procrastination pleasures, I have compiled a list of the best Korean dramas in recent years (throughout the 2010s), ranging in all different genres, lengths and styles, so you’re bound to find something for you. These are must-watch dramas that are guaranteed to take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions: make you laugh, cry, breathless, shocked, scared, happy - basically feel
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The feels. And when you’ve finished watching one K-drama on this list, you’ll be hooked and hungry for more. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Watch “Doctor John.” This medical drama displayed strong acting and hooked me in from the beginning. The main character Cha Yo-han (Doctor John) is an ex-convict who is recently reinstated as a doctor of anesthesiology. Though to many he is arrogant, aloof and even cold at times, there is no one better at identifying and diagnosing illnesses than him. Kang Shi-young is a resident of anesthesiology working under Yo-han. Whereas Yo-han is detached and reserved, she is warm and open to her patients. They and the rest of their pain management team work together to solve not only the problems of their patients, but their own inner battles and secrets.
Debates on topics that would be considered taboo, such as euthanasia in relation to the patient’s choice versus the doctor’s, drew me in. Although “Doctor John” is primarily labeled as a medical drama, it has a little bit of everything: romance, comedy, suspense and heartwarming scenes. With 32 episodes that are each 35 minutes long, “Doctor John” is perfect if you just need a quick study break between classes (who knows, it might even help some of you pre-meds) or are in it for the long haul.
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Note: If you happen to like the main actor in “Doctor John, ” stick around to read about another one of his dramas below.
A young millionaire with a secret allergy of people. A struggling entrepreneur with attitude who gets roped into pretending to be a robot that looks exactly like her. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, it somehow works. Kim Min-kyu seems to have it all: success, money, intelligence and even good looks. Yet he stays out of the spotlight due to his mysterious allergy of people. Unable to interact with people, he orders a robot to become his personal assistant. But there is just one problem: the “robot” that is sent to him is actually a human (Jo Ji-ah) pretending to be the robot. What could possibly go wrong?
This rom-com drama was definitely out there for me in terms of a realistic storyline (but then again, so are most K-dramas), but the plot itself is cleverly played out. Once you get over the fact of how absurd it is, you fall in love with the characters and are in for some good laughs throughout the episodes. The unique story will keep you coming back for more, curious to see where the next episode will take you. If you’re looking for a light-hearted drama with romance thrown in, “I’m Not a Robot” is for you.
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If you’ve already watched “I’m Not a Robot” or simply can’t get enough of rom-coms, “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon” is definitely worth taking up some of your screen time. This drama is centered around a petite yet fiery character (Do Bong-soon) who is born with superhuman strength despite her size. This strength is both a blessing and a curse as she is able to help others with it, but it also gets her into unwanted trouble. An Min-hyuk, CEO of a popular video game company, hires Bong-soon to be his bodyguard after receiving threats from an anonymous stalker. As their relationship deepens, a series of kidnappings plague Bong-soon’s neighborhood. With the help of Min-hyuk, she sets out to use her strength and power to catch the culprit.
In all of the K-dramas I’ve watched, this drama is consistently on my list as one of the funniest dramas I’ve ever seen. The relationship between Bong-soon and Min-hyuk is absolutely hilarious, cute and heartwarming all at once. Both lead actors were absolutely stellar in portraying their characters, surrounded by an equally amazing supporting cast. Amidst the comedy and romance, there is also a twist of suspense and thriller, making this drama so much more than your typical one-dimensional rom-com K-drama.
Fun fact: “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon” is set to be adapted to the American screen, with Bong-Soon’s character being played by none other than professional wrestler and (very) strong woman Ronda Rousey.
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Kim Je-hyuk is a promising superstar baseball player set to sign with a major league baseball team in the U.S.. However, he soon ends up in prison while trying to protect his sister from an intruder. “Prison Playbook” focuses on the daily lives and stories of Je-hyuk and the rest of the inmates he lives with as they navigate life behind bars.
Not only is this drama extremely touching, funny and filled with bits of action, it also showed me a different side of convicts that I had never considered before. The more I learned about how each inmate ended up in prison, the more I began to view them as holistic human beings, instead of holding onto the image of heartless criminals that is often portrayed in society. “Prison Playbook” showed and taught me a lot about the power of empathy, compassion, love and justice in humans, no matter who they are.
If you’re like many K-pop listeners, the sole fact that the main character of this drama is played by main vocalist D.O. from the widely popular K-pop boy group, EXO, is enough for you to watch. Having seen D.O. in a couple other films and dramas, I knew his acting skills were worthy of a lead role in a drama and was curious to see how it would play out in “100 Days My Prince.”
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D.O. plays Lee Yul, a cold and unlikable Crown Prince who ends up in a small village having lost his memory while escaping an ambush meant to kill him. There, he meets Yeon Hong-shim, who happens to be the oldest single woman in the village. By a marriage decree set by none other than the Crown Prince, Hong-shim is given two options: become the concubine of rich nobleman or marry Lee Yul (now called Won Deuk) whom she had just met. Hong-shim chooses to marry Won Deuk and the rest of the drama follows their new “married” life together. This drama is cute and hilarious because although Won Deuk has no memory of who he is, he maintains the speaking style of an upper-class noble and talks down to the villagers, much to their annoyance. He often gets in trouble because despite being book smart and skilled at martial arts, he is completely useless as a husband to Hong-shim and is unable to complete daily chores and activities of a villager.
Overall, this is a very endearing and well-produced drama. I thought D.O. excelled in portraying his character and was complemented nicely by Nam Ji-hyun, the actress who played Hong-shim. Their friendship and eventual blooming romance in the drama is very innocent and pure, in addition to being quite entertaining.
Aside from the lead actor (So Ji-sub) being one of my favorite Korean actors, his most recent drama “My Secret Terrius” is incredibly fun to watch. So Ji-sub plays a legendary National Intelligence Service agent named Kim Bon (anyone else getting James Bond vibes??) who withdraws from the world and lives a secluded life after a failed mission. He moves into the apartment next door to Go Ae-rin, a recently widowed woman with two young kids. All Kim Bon wants is to live a quiet life, but he reluctantly gets entangled in the messy and chaotic lives of Ae-rin and her children. Ae-rin’s husband died very unexpectedly, and the more she gets to know Kim Bon, the more she suspects the real truth behind her husband’s death. Together, she and Kim Bon work together to uncover the massive conspiracy that her husband was somehow involved in.
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I had an absolute blast watching “My Secret Terrius.” It’s one of those special dramas that people of all ages can watch and enjoy. So Ji-sub and Jung In-sun (who played Ae-rin) were both amazing in their characters and perfectly balanced a sweet romance with action, humor and suspense. Also, if you’re a sucker for cute kids, you should watch this drama if only to see the adorable relationship between Kim Bon and Ae-rin’s kids. Did I mention they were cute?
For all of you thriller, crime and mystery lovers out there who have been patiently waiting
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